dye the Devil presently claims their souls the breath is no sooner gone but the Soul is in Hell These three Points of Doctrine I shall first prove unto you from Scritpure evidence and shew you that it is so and then in the second place I shall endeavour to improve them by way of Vse and Application for the spiritual improvement of your precious and immortal souls And the first Point to be proved is this that there is both a Heaven and a Hell in handling of which I shall first shew you that it is so that there is both a Heaven and a Hell And secondly what this Heaven and Hell is That there is both a Heaven and a Hell is a truth believed in all ages denied by none but Atheists and such as deny God and they that dare deny this truth will not dare also to deny God himself The truth of this Point is so clear that it néeds no proof it being as clear as the Sun at Noonday so that he that runs may read it the Text it self doth clearly prove this truth Dives being in Hell sees Lazarus in Abrahams bosome Dives he never minded Hell so as to prevent it but Dives he now findes a Hell so as never to escape it That there is a Hell see that place in Psalm 9.17 The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the Nations that forget God It is better saith our Saviour in Matthew 5.30 to lose one eye rather then our whole body should enter into hell That of our Saviour in the 10. of Matthew and the 28. verse is a clear proof of this Point Fear not him which can kill the body but is not able to kill the soul but rather fear him that is able to destroy both soul and body in hell which clearly proves that there is a Hell wherein both soul and body shall be destroyed Secondly that there is a Heaven a place of Glory for the Saints in the world to come you may sée if you consider these following Scriptures Psal 58.11 Verily there is a reward for the righteous And this was that which did put Moses upon chusing Christ the Text saith Heb. 11.26 He had respect to the recompence of reward Psal 37.24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel saith David and afterward receive me to glory This made the believing Hebrews Heb. 10.34 rejoyce in having their goâ—ds spoâ—â—ed and taken away the Apostle saith they knew in themselves that they had in Heaven a better and a more induring substance We know saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.1 that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens Rejoyce saith our Saviour and leap for joy for behold your reward is great in Heaven Luke 6.24 Sell all saith our Saviour and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven Luke 18.22 This day saith our Saviour to the Penitent Thief shalt thou be with me in Paradice Luke 23.43 and Chap. 24.51 our Saviour after his Resurrection is there said to be carried up into Heaven So in the 16. of Mark our Saviour being risen and appearing to his Discipâ—e◠〈◊〉 said in the 19. vâ—â—se After he had spoken 〈◊〉 them he was received up into heaven and sate at the right hand of God Consider these Scriptures and surely thou wilâ— believe that there is both a Heaven and a Hell Now what this Heaven is I shall endeavour to declare unto you but had I the tongue of men and Angels it were not possible for me fully to declare unto you the glory thereof for as the Apostle saith excellently Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither hath iâ— entered into the heart of man to conceive the things which God hath prepared for them that love him 1 Cor. 2.9 If all the stars in the firmament of heaven were all Suns saith a godly man now in glory they would be but a dark shadow to the glory of heaven and therefore it s reserved for eternity to be known But to give you a little glimpse of this glory and I shall but shew you as it were the out-side of your Fathers house the inside or rather the perfection of all you shall know when you come to the enjoyment of it And this I shall briefly shew 1. Negatively 2. Comparatively and 3. Positively And for the negative part of this glory there shall be no evil the Saints in Heaven shall be freed from all evil from sin and that 's the greatest evil yea the evil of evils the people of God in Heaven shall be freed from all hardness of heart blindness of minde â—uâ—ness of spirit there they shall serve God freely and fully and as they shall be freed from the evil of sin so they shall be delivered from all possibility of sinning which is when the happiness of God himself 1. In Heaven there shall be no sorrow sorrow shall there flee away and although through many tribulations we must enter into Heaven yet in Heaven there shall be no tribulation nor sorrow there all tears shall be wiped away from our eyes and there shall be no more death nor sorrow nor pain no sickness in heaven no deformity nor crookedness in glory no consumptions nor decaying of our bodies no persecutions nor oppressions there in Heaven the Saints shall be beyond the reach of the Devil and all his instruments in this world the Saints meet with troubles and griefs and persecutions and distresses but in the world to come in Heaven they shall be done away 2. For the Comparative part of this glory 1. It is infinitely more then what we have here here we know but in part but in Heaven we shall know as we are known We shall be like God and we shall see him as he is 1 John 3.2 2. It s beyond the happiness of Adam in Paradice in Paradice Adams body was but mortal but in Heaven the bodies of the Saints are all immortal for Christ will change our vile bodies and make them like unto his glorious body Phil. 3.21 3. The glory of the Saints in heaven shall be beyond the glory of all the most glorious Angels for they are more nearly united to Christ they are the friends the brethren of Christ co-heirs with Christ they shall be made one with Christ John 17.23 Christ took not on him the nature of Angels Unto which of the Angels said he at any time thou art my Son Heb. 1.5 3. For the positive part of the glory of Heaven and this you may see in these particulars First In heaven there shall bâ— perfection of their nature our body shall then be made like the glorious body of Christ every soul shall then have one incorruptible body there shall be no more death there shall be a perfection of soul and body Secondly they shall possess and enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven even the heaven of heavens they shall be lifted uâ—
blessed Saviour himself he had not so much as a hole to lay his head in not a Cradle to lye in when he was born he who was the bread of life wanted bread to eat in this life he was a man of sorrows augmented with grief conâ—emned and scorned by the world he who was Lord both of heaven and earth had not so much as a hole to put his head in when he was upon earth Lazarus who is now in Abrahams bosom was laid at the rich mans gate and he who was then full of sores now knows no sorrow he hath all tears now wiped away from from his eyes who might have cryed his eyes out for bread at the rich mans gate they that know no want in the world to come may know nothing but want in this world In the next place as an addition to the lives of them both we have the poor mans humility and the rich mans cruelty and this is first set forth by the smallness of that which Lazarus desired onely a few crumbs he did not come to Dives to beg any of his Lands or Lordships neither any of his messes or costly dishes had Lazarus desired any of these he might have denied him as too hold You know we have a common Proverb amongst us that Beggars must not be chusers and it s not more common then true they that are truly poor will be thankful for the least crumb for the smallest gift Lazarus desired onely to be fed with the crumbs that fell from his table not his dainties And then secondly the rich mans cruelty is here condemned by the compassion of his dogs Dives regarded neither his hunger nor his sores but the dâ—gs they pittied his wounds they came and licked his sores they did what they could to ease his pains those cruel creatures whose natures are so fierce and cruel and apt to bite and devour they forget their wonted cruelty and as much as in them lyes labour to heal or ease the poor mans sores It s not improbable but that the dogs were let loose purposely to affrighten Lazarus from his gate or else to devour him rich Gluttons usually kéep such fierce and devouring creatures purposely to kéep or frighten the poor from their gates but God can restrain the rage of the fiercest creatures to preserve his people he can shut the mouths of Lions that they devour not Daniel he can cause the Dogs contrary to their natures to lick the sores of Lazarus In the next place we come to give you the deaths both of the beggar and the rich man And it came to pass that the beggar died God hath now given him a writ of ease from all his sores no more sorrow nor pain now no more hunger nor cold nor nakedness God hath released the poor man out of all his miseries From whence we may observe that death to the godly is a blessed priviledge it puts an end to all their woes though heaviness may endure for a night yet joy comes in the morning though poverty losses and disgraces and all kinde of outward afflictions may attend Gods people in this life yet when death comes there 's an end of all these In a word death is the best friend a childe of God hath next to Iesus Christ it doth not onely deliver them from their sorrow but it translates them to their joyes it is the messenger of God their heavenly Father who comes onely to call them home to their Fathers house to inherit those everlasting joyes which God hath prepared for them to all eternity Lazarus was not onely released from his sorrows by death but he is carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosom death takes him from the woes of this world and the Angels they transport him to everlasting glory in the world to come God hath released Lazarus from all his miseries But what becomes of the Glutton The rich man also died and was buried From whence we may observe that neither riches nor honours can prevent death he knocks as well at the Court as at the Cottage he regards Scarlet Gowns and Purple Robes no more then he doth the poorest beggars rags death deprives men of all their honours and riches the rich fool in the Gospel he sings a requiem to his soul and this very night death comes and then whose are all these 'T is neither Purple Robes nor sumptuous Apparel that can prevent death God cuts off wicked men in the midst of their mirth and jollity in the grave there is no difference between the poor and the rich the worms may be finde better fare upon the fat Carkasses of rich Gluttons then of the poor Well the rich man he dyed also what becomes of him afterwards his body that is honourably buried by his friends I but what becomes of his soul that you read is hurried into hell he is huried and in hell he lift up his eyes From whence we may observe That the Lord Iesus Christ doth hereby signifie that men are naturally unwilling to see or take notice of their sad state I say by nature but though now they are willingly ignorant yet in Hell they shall lift up their eyes That is in Hell they shall see and understand their miserable condition and therefore to these words In Hell he lift up his eyes he added being in torment As if he had said Though once they shut their eyes though once they were willingly ignorant yet when they depart into Hell they shall be so miserably handled and tormented that they shall be forced to lift up their eyes For while men live in this world and are in a natural state they will have a good conceit of themselves and of their condition they will conclude that they are Christians and their state to be as good as the best they will conclude they have faith the spirit good hope and an interest in the Lord Iesus Christ but then when they drop into Hell and lift up their eyes there and behold first their soul to be in extream torments their dwelling to be the bottomless pit their company thousands of damned souls also the innumerable company of Devils and the hot scalding vengeance of God not onely to drop but to fall very violently upon them then they will begin to be awakened who all their life time were in a dead sleep I say when this comes to pass as it will then in hell they shall lift up their eyes in the midst of torments they shall lift up their eyes Again you may observe from these words And in hell he lift up his eyes being in torment That the time of the ungodly mens smarting for their sins will be in torments of hell Now here I am put to a stand when I consider the torments of hell into which the damned do fall O unspeakable torments O endless torments Now that thy soul might be made to flée from these tâ—â—â—ollerable torments into which the â—amned do go I shall
above the spangled firmament which is â—â—t the lower paâ—ement of our Favors hâ—use and this should comfort such of Gods people as with poor Lazarus have 〈◊〉 possessions here they shall possess heavens and 〈◊〉 all the glory thereof which is better then the enjoyment of all the world 〈◊〉 the glory of Heaven is eternal Thirdly They shall â—â—jâ—y God himself which shall be the glory of all for â—as one saith sweetly Heaven would â—he no Heaven were it not for the presence of God In thy presence is light and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore and this must needs fill our soul with glory for the presence of God fills Heaven with Glory O what a glorious being shall the Saints have in glory when God himself shall be their glory for they shall have â—â—â—on and communion with God and Christ Saints and Angels so to all eternity Thus much briefly of the glory of Heaven The next thing I have to do is briefly to inform you what Hell is And in the first place it 's a place of darkness even utter darkness a place of pain and sorrow of endless anâ— easeless woe as you may clearly seâ— by the words of the Text I am tormented in this flame saith Dives there 's no coming from thence out of Helâ— there 's no redemption it s called iâ—â— Scripture a lake which burneth with fire and brimstone Rev. 20.14 15. So that dreadful place in Rev. 21.8 the fearful unbelieving abominable murderer whore mongers sorcerers idolaters and all ly anâ— shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone a place of everlasting darkness where thâ— Devils are bound in chains Jude 6. 〈◊〉 place of everlasting woe Sée the dreadful sentence against the wicked at the great day Depart from the ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels Mat. 25.4 The torments of hell as they are easeless so they are endless when the damned in hell have undergone the wrath of God ten thousand times then thousand millions of years they shall be as far from having an end as they were at the first it was an excellent comparison which I have heard from a godly and learned Divine speaking of the everâ—asting torments of Hell If saith he 〈◊〉 barn or some other great place should â—e filled top full of the purest wheat and a bird should come once every thouâ—and years and fetch away a corn there might at last be an end of all the barn might at last be emptied but as for â—he torments of hell they have no end â—en thousand times ten thousand milâ—ions of dayes doth not at all shorten â—he misery and torments of the damned Consider this all you that are ungodly â—est living and dying in your sins ye also come to this place of torment FINIS Courteous Reader THere is lately published an excellent and profitable Sermon called Christs first Sermon or The necessity duty and practice of Repentance opened and applied Also Christs last Sermon or The everlasting estate and condition of all men in the world to come Likewise the Christians best Garment or The putting on of the Lord Jesus Christ And the Christians blessed Choice Very godly Books and are but three pence price There are likewise eight other small Books all of them very godly and very comfortable for thy soul One is entituled Englands Faithful Physician The second Dooms-day at hand The third the dreadful character of a drunkard The fourth The Father last Blessing to his children The fifth The sin of Pride arraigned and condemned The sixth The Charitable Christian The seventh The Plain Mans Plain Path-way to Heaven The eight the Black Book of Conscience All very necessary for these licentious times and each of them being but of two pence price They are to be sold by John Andrews at the White Lion near Pye-Corner